STW 2014/15 Rugby Thread

anagallis_arvensis – Member
The fact that North has been sparked by obviously major blows is worrying but it would be much more worrying if he was been sparked by smaller impacts as started happening to Hape.
kid could do with a month or two off though.

It’s getting close to being the same as Hape. This was pointed out on another forum, have a look at the incident when Wade scores his second try, at about 1 min.

BT Sport Link

Lee Dicksons foot catches the back of North’s head during the tackle, that is a relatively small hit but almost KO’s him.

the desire for a ‘British League’ is purely a wish to access the financial pot of the Premiership

Not at all. If the regions joined the prem they would lose WRU backing. Its a desire to see the teams play matches the fans want to see. Welsh derbies currently get good crowds but no one care when we play the irish or scottish or italians. Matches v bath, bristol, gloucester are traditional games with historic rivals.

Aren’t the Welsh regions Union owned though?

No! Quite the opposite, and the reason for the current “difficulties”. They have some central contracts, but the regions are privately owned and very upset about the lack of funding coming from the (wealthy) WRU. I believe the regions receive less funding than all but the smallest italian clubs.
I wouldn’t want a british league, I like the AP. An anglo welsh league would be good (perhaps two conferences?) but it would have a negative effect on the irish, italian and scottish club game and that’s not in anyones interest.

Matches v bath, bristol, gloucester are traditional games with historic rivals.

Exactly. It would be nice to see some of the older welsh clubs given a new lease of life (Ponty etc) so those fixtures could be revived too.

Ah right, I thought the Welsh regions were funded via the WRU.
I wouldn’t want a British or Anglo-Welsh league as it would be too large, and I suspect it would be ringfenced as well. I can’t see Scarlets or Dragons wanting to join a league that relegates its worst team(s). Also there is the question of the RFU & WRU going head to head over access limits to players, plus the Welsh players wouldn’t be contracted to the WRU etc.
No, not workable IMO.

I wouldn’t want a British or Anglo-Welsh league as it would be too large,

That’s only if you think in terms of everbody playing everyone else home and away.

In Super Rugby the teams used to play each other just once and it was luck of the draw as to home/away. Now it’s up to 15 teams they have three conferences (NZ/Aus/SA) and each team plays their conference opponents twice and then 4 of the 5 teams in each of the other conferences once – for a 16 game season. Then play-offs.

I can’t help but feel that if the Premierships main clubs get their marquee player, no relegation and a increase in salary cap then this is the last chance for England to win the WC. The way the game in France has gone is an example of what happens when clubs don’t need to promote the game and can buy players in,indeed right down to u18 level.No chance of the Welsh,Irish or us ever being in a British league. Talk about the great tradition between Glaws and the Welsh sides if you like,but given a choice of that or Bath? NMBuzz’s option above also reduces gate revenue guaranteed over a season.

The French still have relegation duckers, why do you think this would be detrimental to English RWC chances?
I agree that an influx of foreign players would be a massive blow to english rugby, but I think the marquee player thing is a bit of a red herring really (they aren’t all foreign), worse than that is the clubs getting more TV finances so that they don’t need the EQP money.

IdleJon – Member
It was a ‘gentle’ headbutt. Officially a red but he should have put some effort into it to make it a worthwhile card.
POSTED 12 HOURS AGO

and

IdleJon – Member
Ulster v Cardiff, 6 minutes in, Nick Williams joins a maul and ‘accidentally’ leads with elbow, making no attempt to use his arms or maul legally. Result – Rhys Patchell is stretchered off, Cardiff lose their first choice full back for at least this game, probably more, Williams gets a yellow.

The ref (Mitrea) and TMO actually debated whether it deserved a yellow or just a penalty. The commentators – albeit Welsh – all agree it was an obvious red.

This sport is ludicrous at times.

It may be relevant the the TMO is Irish.
POSTED 2 DAYS AGO

True colours now.

A big smiley face covers double standards and hypocrisy?
🙂

Am I the only one who thought Chris Ashton knocked on while scoring a try against Quins this weekend? I only saw it on the ITV highlights last night and they showed it at least three times and not once did the commentators mention it. I thought he clearly knocked it on before grounding

Currently the scottish get far too much out of leeching off the welsh regions and the Irish and the Irish would be left with no one to play too.

That’s just crap trolling.

anagallis_arvensis – Member
Duckman the Scottish game could not sustain a pro league of its own with just two teams, without the welsh and irish input into the pro12 the pro game would die in scotland. I dont want to see that and an anglo-welsh league aint going to happen. It is quite galling though having to watch our teams get pumped by better funded Scottish teams in front of six fans two dogs and couple of groundsmen at Murrayfield.

More relevant.
Truth is that the Welsh or Irish would struggle to sustain a pro league on their own too. There’s a need for opposition to make a league work. So at the moment, all three are stuck with each other, and the Italians, whether we like it or not.

All three have to deal with the same problems of having some fixtures which are more favourable to fans, and some that aren’t so appealing. It’s not unique to this league though, happens to a certain extent in all the leagues. Pro12’s not perfect, but despite being a favourite target, it’s not the the cause of the regional problems in Welsh rugby.

I think it would be detrimental because there would be no need for mid sized clubs to be financially prudent. France’s problem is that so may of their key positions are taken up by furry-ners. Pulling up the drawbridge is only going to make ambitious championship clubs hiring good coaches who develop good players wonder what the point is. The elite can only take so many trainees and so you will see far fewer home grown players coming through.

Am I the only one who thought Chris Ashton knocked on while scoring a try against Quins this weekend?

In Ashton’s first try, he was diving on the ball so didn’t need control, just downward pressure. It looked like he knocked it down with his hands, didn’t get any downward pressure but then got the pressure with his body instead. It might have been a knock on off his hand but looked like it didn’t go forward and he scored with his body. Anyway, the ref gave it – so it’s a try.

Sarries backs scored some great tries. Amazing what they can do when Farrell and Barritt AREN’T playing…..

Pulling up the drawbridge is only going to make ambitious championship clubs hiring good coaches who develop good players wonder what the point is. The elite can only take so many trainees and so you will see far fewer home grown players coming through.

Fair points, I completely agree. I also think that the champ clubs will go semi-pro so less opportunities will be available for english players, and sending players out on loan will dry up as the quality won’t be great.

France’s problem is that so may of their key positions are taken up by furry-ners.

Yes, but the EQP payments are there to ensure that this doesn’t happen here.

True colours now.

A big smiley face covers double standards and hypocrisy?

Not at all, it was a red card whichever way you look at it. I meant that if you’re going to get yourself sent off you might as well make a decent effort, not just a little nudge.

My anger about the Williams card was that the TMO said that it wasn’t even a penalty. You can see a_a’s Youtube clip somewhere above to see how ridiculous that is.

make a decent effort,

?
On a headbutt?

An assault intended to cause a head injury to another – and you think he should have put more into it?

Trying to help you see this here – how about from the other perspective:

how would you feel if other fans were saying that Williams should have put more into the Patchell colision – using your words – that “he should have made a decent effort rather than just a little nudge, if he’s going to get cited anyway?”

Can’t you see how it start’s to look a bit sick?

Sarries backs scored some great tries. Amazing what they can do when Farrell and Barritt AREN’T playing…..

Agreed!

Only just seen the North head clash on the ITV highlights last night and it was interesting to see the opinion of the presenters that there wasn’t even the slightest offence there. Bit of a tough one…. if nothing happened sanction-wise I think most would agree, but equally, in a weird way, when the red was shown it was hard to disagree too. It didn’t look like much but as I think a_a said, being a clumsy dangerous oaf is no excuse for dangerous play.

I do worry for North, especially with the talk of him playing next weekend too, but none of us are in a position to know what is really going on 😕 He is a tremendous asset to any team and has his 50 caps exceptionally quickly but I just hope he is able to maintain a long career

loum – Member
make a decent effort,
?
On a headbutt?

An assault intended to cause a head injury to another – and you think he should have put more into it?

Trying to help you see this here – how about from the other perspective:

how would you feel if other fans were saying that Williams should have put more into the Patchell colision – using your words – that “he should have made a decent effort rather than just a little nudge, if he’s going to get cited anyway?”

Can’t you see how it start’s to look a bit sick?

Oh good grief. 🙄

Yeah.
Pretty much my thoughts on your previous.

Can’t you see how it start’s to look a bit sick?

Not really they are two very different incidents.

http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/live/match/66035/report

Gareth Davies at about 1.30 in

Patchel

Not much in either of them really. Davies more deliberate though

Not much in either of them really. Davies more deliberate though

Do you do much stand up?

Williams was clumsy, never a red. davies was deliberate but not really that bad.

Gareth Davies at about 1.30 in

More of a football headbutt at frustration of being held/ losing? Very silly and avoidable whatever the cause and only gave himself a bloody nose by the looks of it!

Yes Dan it was all a bit Zinedine Zidane

Nah, not sure there was anything deserving a red in the Williams one. If I wanted to have some kind of twisted pop at the nationality of the TMO, I’d probably get myself into a bit of a tumescent rage about it though, but the nationalities of TMOs don’t get me as excited as they do some people. I’d probably calm down about it once I’d wiped myself off, and then whinge about how somebody hadn’t properly broken the other guy’s nose when he headbutted him.

Just to go against the flow, red all day for the Ulster player in my book. Feliberate forearm to the head, he knew exactly what he was doing.
both pretty stupid, but nowhere near as stupid as tripping a player up in the deciding game of the 6N. Yes James Haskell, I’m looking at you, you brainless ****wit.

Come on Wrecker you should be following the irish. Nothing in it 😆 in fact Patchel should be cited for offside.
I still cannot understand 1. The thought process that makes it a yellow, surely its a red or an accident or 2. How the tmo managed to see it as shoulder and upper arm.

The Chief has it right, “it was a red, I should know I did it enough” or words to that effect.

Come on Wrecker you should be following the irish.

I should really, particularly Ulster.

AA I agree it was red or nothing, IMO nothing.

Wrecker – SUFTUM you know it makes sense to follow the best team in Ireland.

Wrecker – SUFTUM you know it makes sense to follow the best team in Ireland.

😀
I’ll have to catch a game next time I’m visiting! No more Ferris though, my family loved him as he came from the same tiny village my gran and grandpop did.

Let me know if you make it over and I’ll get you a pint of the black stuff, maybe two if you sing loud enough!

Let me know if you make it over and I’ll get you a pint of the black stuff, maybe two if you sing loud enough!

You only need to learn one song, so you’ll be alright wrecker. 🙂

Let me know if you make it over and I’ll get you a pint of the black stuff, maybe two if you sing loud enough!

Will do, thanks!

You only need to learn one song, so you’ll be alright wrecker.

Well that’s not very nice is it.

Your father is your brother
Your sister is your Mother
Your sh***ing one another
You’re the Munster family.

It’s only got four lines as well.

It’s only got four lines as well.

I’m surprised you managed to write it all down duckie…go on admit it, you had to google it. 😛

Wow DD,you just owned me! bet you and your Munster mates were high sixing each other over your internet put down skills! 😛 Your genius would probably bring a tear to that huge single eye of yours…

Whoa there duckie. Don’t be pulling out the big guns so early. We were only just getting moist and now you go getting all hurtful? I know it’s been a tough season an’ all, but don’t go taking it out on me… 🙁

I would hug you to make up,but flashy said you have wandering hands.

It’s not his hands you need to worry about.

😉